I wonder if it possible if an object that moves in the air, can generate air resistance that is constantly orthogonal to its movement (and therefore to its velocity).
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$\begingroup$ What about Magnus force? $\endgroup$– velut lunaCommented Mar 21, 2018 at 14:07
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1$\begingroup$ Resistance is a synonym for drag, which is defined as the component of force parallel to the motion. The component orthogonal to the motion is called the lift. So, are you asking if it is possible to generate lift, without drag? $\endgroup$– D. HalseyCommented Mar 21, 2018 at 21:45
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2 Answers
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Air resistance/drag is caused by a pressure gradient, specifically a gradient in the dynamic pressure. It is possible to have a component of the drag force orthogonal to the incident bulk flow velocity of the fluid (e.g., imagine the free-body diagram of a propeller, one component would be parallel to the flow and one orthogonal), but not the entire vector.
So the short answer is no. The longer answer is kind of or partly, but the problem is that most of these orthogonal forces would balance out due to symmetry so they really would not matter.
answered Mar 21, 2018 at 13:57
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For rotating objects, there can be a component orthogonal to its velocity due to the Magnus effect. But there will also be a component parallel to its movement.
